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Guide to Datasets for Research and Policymaking in Child Care and Early Education

Introduction

This guide is an annotated bibliography of available large-scale
databases that provide information useful to researchers,
policymakers, state administrators, and others concerned about
child care and early education. The guide follows an ecological
approach to research and policy in the field: it brings attention
not only to children, but to the different contexts in which they
grow and develop. The aim is to promote research and decisionmaking
that take into account the interrelations among those contexts and
their impacts on children. For each dataset, this guide provides
information on the study design and specific data it contains on
the use and characteristics of child care and early education, as
well as on child, family, household, school, and community
characteristics.
*

Datasets are included in this guide if they are publicly
available, are part of a major research project or data collection
effort, focus primarily on child care and early education, shed
light on any of the contexts in which children develop, and allow
users to create estimates at the national, regional, and/or state
level. Also included are data collections containing information on
any constraint around the use and/or provision of child care and
early education (for example, how parents balance work and child
care, and how access to child care affects their decisions
regarding work and employment, and vice versa).

The template for dataset profiles is based on a review of the
data collection instruments of most of the datasets covered in this
document. The profiles combine user-friendly text descriptions of
the general characteristics of the dataset (such as, purpose,
design, periodicity, data available, data type, population, unit of
observation, period coverage), with yes/no checks as to whether the
dataset contains information in specific areas (such as, data are
available for the following age groups: infants and toddlers [1-2];
preschoolers [3-5]; early childhood [6-8]; late childhood
[9-12]).

Profiles are organized around the following topics:

Children and Child Development: Includes children’s
characteristics, intellectual and socioemotional development,
emergent literacy and numeracy, academic performance, special
needs, and services received related to their special needs.

Parents and Families: Types of child care and early education
arrangement used, factors associated with their selection, and
their duration and stability, characteristics of the parents, the
family, the home environment, and the neighborhood and
community.

Provider Workforce and Market: Characteristics of the child
care and early education market, the providers as organizations
(type of provider, organization and classroom characteristics,
professional development and training, interaction with parents),
and providers as individuals.

Programs, Interventions, and Curricula: Characteristics of
programs, such as accreditation, enrollment, curricula, and
quality.

Profiles also identify the authors, researchers, data
collectors, and funders, as well as resources in the Child Care and
Early Education Research Connections collection
(www.researchconnections.org) based on the particular dataset.

By clicking on the link(s) under the heading Availability URL,
readers may access the web page in Research Connections or other
web sites from which datasets may be downloaded.

* There is no one inventory of existing databases
that allows researchers, policymakers, and others to become
familiar with data available, understand the breadth of
information, the specific characteristics of each database, and the
extent of comparability of data, as well as to access these
resources. The most prominent compendia are: Brown, Brett, Zaslow,
Martha, & Weitzman, Michael (2006). Studying and tracking early
child development from a health perspective: A review of available
data sources. (Washington, DC: Child Trends); Zill, Nicholas, &
Daly, Margaret (1993). Researching the family: A guide to survey
and statistics. (Washington, DC: Child Trends); and Peterson, James
L. (1985). A compendium and review of information sources on
children in poverty. (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education,
National Institute of Education). None of the above resources
focuses on child care and education. These guides are outdated,
except for Brown and Zaslow’s, which focuses on data relevant
to children’s health.